Hurricane Harvey Intensifies to a Category 4 Storm and Could be the Worst Storm Since Decades

Hurricane Harvey finally arrived on the Texas coast on the 24th and has lead to one of the worst flooding disasters in History, with communities from League City to College Station all suffering major flood damages. The storm will certainly go down as one of the worst natural disasters the state has ever experienced.

The storm is now a Category 4 storm with wind moving at a high speed of 130 mph. It has caused damages to many key buildings in the city including police department and a Rockport based high school. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department reported that a few people have been trapped in more than one facilities.

The storm slows down at 12:55 a.m. and change to a Category 3 storm with wind that moves at a speed of 6 mph. There is the possibility that the storm will turn into a tornado. Later, it heads to the northeastern part of the Copano Bay and bring heavy rain there.
The storm has downgraded to Category 2 at 3:15 a.m.

The following is a detailed outline of what happens at the different time of Hurricane Harvey.

Damages on the Buildings in Rockport Area at 11:20 PM

At 11:20 pm, news channel started to report about damages on the buildings in Rockport carried out by the hurricane. Some people are trapped and couldn’t get out because the buildings collapse during the hurricane.

The public information officer for the volunteer fire department told the Caller Times that one section of the roof of a high school has been seriously damaged. The volunteer fire department has not yet carried out any evaluation of the damage until after everyone has been rescued. By the time the rescue work is done, the wind speed would have reduced to under 45 mph.

On President Donald Trump tweeter page, a tweet shows that the president has signed on the disaster proclamation that the government is ready to give their full support on Friday night. In a statement he made on the afternoon of Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott said he has sent a request to President Donald Trump for a presidential disaster declaration because he wants to make sure that everyone has take heed of the warnings the officials have issued and take action fast. He don’t want anyone to be left out of making preparation for the storm and not be ready when it arrives.

The National Hurricane Center said that Hurricane Harvey has started to bring rain to the area located about 4 miles away from Rockport.

According to forecasters, the hurricane will slow down as it moves further to the southeast of Texas. They predict that the hurricane will dump about 40 inches of rain in the center and upper part of the coast on Texas until Wednesday.

It is forecast that Hurricane Harvey could be the most powerful hurricane to take place in Texas after Hurricane Carla in 1961. Hurricane Carla has caused 34 deaths and cause 465 people to suffer from injuries when it brings heavy rain on the land nearby to Port Lavaca.

The wind is traveling at a high speed of 130 mph and this means that it is a dangerous hurricane wind that has the potential to form into tornadoes. If tornadoes are formed, it could be that it will take place in the center or beyond the coast on Texas.

Voluntary Evacuations Issued to Residents Along San Bernard River

The officials of Brazoria County is urging the residents that live by the San Bernard River to evacuate and they will soon be issuing a mandatory evacuation order.

Matt Sebesta, the judge at Brazoria County said he encourages the residents to pack their things and leave the city the first thing in the morning. He said that the people must be ready to evacuate the place as the hurricane could hit at any moment.

The forecast made earlier point out that those who live near to Highway 288 will not endure much impact from the hurricane. Those who have been affected by the flood last year should also face the same flood problem this year round.

Harvey could cause the Brazos River to swell and the water could reach up to 53 feet just like in May 2016. The San Bernard River could swell pass the safety level up to 45.2 feet, which is higher than the measured level recorded in 1960 on Monday noon.

Evacuation order has been issued to four thousand residents who live along the Surfside Beach as the sea water could rise to as high as 8 feet. The officials have already prepared a shelter in Angleton where those who evacuated could go for hiding during the hurricane. Angleton is situated about 20 miles from Surfside Beach.

Voluntary evacuations have been issued in several areas in four municipalities in Harris County. Some of the places where the voluntary evacuations have been issued are San Leon, Shoreacres, Old Bayou Vista, and Kemah.

The officials issued a mandatory evacuation to the 12,000 residents living in the low lands in Freeport. They are also working on evacuating the people that live in the 7 counties in Corpus Christi as well as those living on the west part of the Galveston Island.

The officials in Houston told the residents that there is no need for them to evacuate or make any preparation.

According to Ed Emmet, the judge for Harris County, Harvey will not hit Houston as badly as Texas although it may bring a heavy rain just like what happened during the Memorial Day in 2015, and 2016 as well as the Tax Day 2016.

The judge said the people don’t have to be panic and evacuate the city for no reason.

Flash Flood Watches are Issued in the Majority of the Gulf Counties

Flash flood watches have been issued for 16 counties by the National Weather Service.

It is forecast that Harvey will stall 15 – 35 inches of rain and in some parts of Texas, it may stall up to 40 inches of rain. This much rainfall could possibly cause life threatening flood and damages to the buildings around Texas.

The officials of Harris County point out that the wind is not the main thing to be feared but rather it is the water from the heavy rain that can cause devastating flood damages in the area.

Emmetts stated in the announcement at the emergency operations headquarters that the hurricane is expected to slow down and become less harmful as it move towards the south.

Harris County will experience heavy rain on Friday night and the rain could continue for a number of days.

The officials of Harris County warned that the bayou and creek could become swollen along with the rivers southeast of Texas and the seaside.

Harvey is slowly progressing to Houston and afterwards, it will return back t the Gulf of Mexico before returning back to Texas and showering the flooded area with another heavy rain.

He said that he did not want to have to keep on reminding the people what they have to do to avoid the hurricane.

The representative for the flood control district, Sandra Ortiz, said that Harvey could bring a great deal of damages on the city, something that has not happen since decades ago.

Bridges and Highways are Shut Down as Hurricane Approach

Highway 332 on Surfside Bridge has been shut down in Brazoria County. Those who are heading inland will be able to pass through.

On Friday, at 3:45 p.m., the flood water has prevent roads in Galveston from being accessible. Some of the highways that have been flooded and are currently inaccessible are Spur-342 northbound; State Highway 275; and State Highway 275.

The Texas Department of Transportation reports that the Galveston Ferry has temporarily postpone its operations starting from the evening of Friday.

Schools in more than 20 districts have already canceled their classes from Friday to Monday. The canceling of the classes in schools in some districts like Houston ISD mean that the school year will be postponed.

There are 21 districts that have canceled classes.

Schools situated in the three counties including Fort Bend, La Porte and Magnolia ISD will also be shut down temporarily on Monday.

The schools that make the announcement of closing only on Friday will be updating parents o on Sunday or the morning of Monday on whether they decide to reopen the school on Monday.

The schools and air airports throughout Houston are all closed until further notice.

Post navigation

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

WaterDamageProsSide

What Our Customers Are Saying

Water Damage Pros creates an instant and lasting impression, keeps their commitments, and repeatedly goes out of their way to make the customer their number one priority. --- Jack P

I want to say thanks and express how pleased I am with your service. Not only did the crew exceed my expectations, but everyone at Water Damage Pros was very pleasant and professional to work with. As a repeat customer, I rate your service and company an A+++! Melanie H